Vincent Bugliosi, Prosecutor in Manson Trial, Dies at 80

He wrote the best-selling true-crime book, 'Helter Skelter.'

Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor in the Charles Manson trial who went on to write the best-selling true-crime book, Helter Skelter, has died. He was 80.

His son Vincent Bugliosi Jr. told the Associated Press on Monday night that Bugliosi died of cancer Saturday at a hospital in Los Angeles.

Bugliosi Sr. won convictions of Manson and three followers for the shocking 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others. Bugliosi turned their trial into a marathon showcase for the bizarre lifestyle of Manson and his tribe of followers known as The Manson Family.

It was the longest and most expensive criminal trial in Los Angeles history at the time. After the trial, Bugliosi's biggest success came in true-crime and non-fiction books.